Braiding-machine.



E. F. STANTON.

BRAIDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED DEC.8. 91s.

1 385,45 1 Patented Nov. 19, 1918.

Inveniar Tjfwfin,

EARL STANTON, ,OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

BRAIDING-MACHINE.

Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 19, 1918.

Application filed December 8, 1916. Serial No. 135,825.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EARL F. STANTON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of RhodeIsland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBraiding-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to braiding machines and its essential objects areto protect the operator from injury to hair, hands or clothing by reasonof exposed gearing; to prevent the breaking of threads by entanglementwith the mechanism; to muffle the noise of the operating parts; tofurnish an oil bath for the gears whereby their 1on gevity is insuredttoafford compactness of structure whereby space is conserved in boththickness and diameter; to minimize the number of parts; to avoid theloosening and consequent tilting and cramping of the quoits; and toattain these ends in a simple structure, and by an inexpensive method orprocess of construction, and by a method which insures accuracy ofregistration in the assembly of parts.

To the above ends essentially my invention consists in such parts and insuch combinations of parts, and in such steps, and successions of stepsas fall within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a plan view of the body of a braiding machine, showing aportion of the top plate broken away to more clearly show the inclosedparts,

Fig. 2, a transverse section of the same unbroken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3, an enlarged section of a limited portion of the body taken onthe last mentioned sectional line, I I

Fig. 4, a bottom plan view of the top plate in the form of the originalcasting, and

Fig. 5, a perspective of a qu'oit,

Like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the views.

My improvements relate only to the body or driving portions of abraiding machine, and for this reason the thread feeding and supportingportions are omitted from the showing.

In constructing the portion of the machine to which my inventionappert'ains, a base plate 6 is cast with a central opening 7, having anupwardly directed peripheral flange 8, and a similar flange 9 around thecentral opening. An annularly arranged series of openings 10 in thisplate, equidistant from the opening 7, are also bounded by tubular postsor cylindrical walls 11 cast integral with the base 6. At one portion ofits periphery, the base is cast with a depressed or cup shaped extension13 comprising a substantially circular base portion 14 and cylindricalwall or flange 15' continuous with the wall 8 and having its upper edgein the horizontal plane of the top edges of the walls 8 and 11. In thecenter of the base portion 14 is cast a bearing 16; and in the wall 15is cast a bearing or sleeve 17. Vertical lugs 18, 19, 20, are preferablycast on the walls 8, 9, and 15 respectively; and holes 21, '22, and 23for attaching screws are formed in the respective walls.

The top plate 24 is initially cast in a form corresponding to thecontour of the bottom plate, comprising a circular body portion 25, anda curved extension 26, coinciding with the walls 8 and 15 of the baseplate.

The plate 24 has its portion 25 cast with acircular series of openings27 in vertical alinement with the centers of the tubes 11, and aroundeach of these openings, upon the bottom face of the plate is a square orother angular projection or shoulder 29. These projections are adaptedto fit in correspondingly shaped cavities or depressions 30 in the upperends of the posts 11. The portion 26 of thetop plate has an opening 32in vertical alinement with the bearing 16. Intersecting curved raceways84 of the maypole type are cast in the top plate with each opening 27concentric with a pair of loops. The portions 36 embraced by the pairsof loops, are initially connected to the remainder of the plate by thewebs 37 bridging the raceways. These ebs are subsequently broken awaywith ease by a chisel, or other tool, and the edge of 'the'portion 36 issmoothed by grinding, thus constituting an interior carrier guide orquoit. The breaking of the webs forms the second or central section 38of the top or guide plate adapted to coiiperate with the outer section25.

The quoits are clamped by bolts or threaded pins 39 passing'thro'ugh thetubes 11 and the openings 10 and 27 and having nuts or heads 41 and 42upon their ends abutting against the quoit and base plate respectively.J ournaled on each tube 11 is the hub 43 of a gear 44 provided with theusual radial ribs 45 upon its upper face to engage the base 46 of thespindles or carriers 47 which travel through the raceways.

The driving shaft 48, carrying upon its ends the pulle 49 and gear 50,is mounted in-the sleevel In'the bearing 1 6;is journaled the usual handshaft 52 passing through the opening 32 and carrying the bevel gear 53and the gear 54. The gear 53 meshes with the gear 50, and the gear 54engages one of the gears 44, all of which are in mesh successively.

In assembling, the vertical lugs 18, 19, and register in marginal slots56, 57, and 58 respectively in the guide plate portions and 26.Attaching screws 60 enter the threaded cavities 21, 22, and 23, throughmarginal perforations 61, 62, and 63 in the sections 25 and 38 of theguide plate, and

the portion 26 of the former respectively. Obviously, if desired, theportion 26 of the top plate may be cut or otherwise severed from. themain portion 24 of the guide plate, and form an independent removableplate. If desired, slotted attaching lugs 66, 67 and 68 may be cast uponthe base 6 at selected points upon the periphery to admit screws forfixing the base upon a bench or other suitable standards.

The top and base plates constructed and assembled as described form ahousing inclosing the annular chamber 69 and a chamber 70 containing thegearing and driving parts of the machine, not only protecting themechanism and the operator, but forming inclosed receptacles that may bepartially or wholly filled with oil 71 without danger of leaking,whereby the gears may run in the lubricant. The housing also muffiesthis sound. By this construction, the use of spacingstuds is avoided,thus avoiding expense and saving room. The present practice of fixingthe interior carrier guides on the bearing stud which leads to theirquick loosening and resultant cramping is avoided by the integralrelation of the tubes 11 to the base 6, and the seating of the integralsquared shoulders 29 in the sockets 30.

By casting the upper plate in the form shown,namely with webs 27, it isassured that-each quoit'36 will center relatively to the guide plates 25and 38 to form uniform boundaries for the raceways without specialgrinding for that purpose.

I claim V i 1. In a braiding machine, the combination of a substantiallyannular base plate, vertical upturned walls integral with the base uponits inner and outer peripheries, tubular bearings integral with the baseinterme Copies of this patent may be obtained for diate the walls, aguide plate resting upon the walls, interior carrier guides upon thebearings, and gears upon the bearings intermeshingwith each other.

2. In a braiding machine, the combination of a substantially annularbase plate, vertical walls upon the inner and outer peripheriesof theplate, tubular bearings formed integral with the plate and provided withangular cavities in their upper ends, a guide plate resting upon thetops of'the walls, 1nterior carrier guides resting upon the tops of thebearings provided with angular shoulders registering in the cavities,means for locking the interior carrier guides against the bearings, andgears upon the bearings.

3. In a braiding machine, the combination of a base plate, side wallsupon the plate, a guide plate on the walls, tubular bearings integralwith the base plate provided with angular cavities in their upper ends,interior carrier guides on the tops of the bearings provided withangular shoulders registering in the cavities, and with perforations inalinement with the bearings, bolts extending through the perforationsand the bearings, and nuts on the bolts engaging the interior carrierguides and the base.

4. In a braiding machine, the combination of a base plate comprising anannular portion and a depressed curved extended portion, a vertical wallintegral with the outer periphery of the annular portion of the base andthe periphery of the extended portion, a lateral bearing in the extendedportion of the wall, a vertical wall integral with the inner peripheryof the base, said walls and base forming an annular chamber and anextension chamber opening into each other, a series of tubular bearingsintegral with the annular portion of the base, a guide plate mounted onthe peripheral walls, interior carrier guides fixed to the tops of thebearings, carrier gears journaled on the bearings in the annularchamber, a driving shaft in the lateral bearing, and driving gears inthe extension chamber connecting the main shaft with one of the carriergears. 1

5. In a braidingmachine, the combination of a substantially annular baseplate, vertical walls upon the inner and outer peripheries of the plate,and tubular bearings upon the base intermediate the walls, whereby alubricant is retained around the bearings.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

EARL F. STANTON. Witnesses:

HORATIO E. BELLOWS, JOHN D. BRENNAN, J r.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, "was ngt mllG,

